The founding of Joseon in 1392

Yi Seong-gye was crowned in Suchanggung Palace in Gaegyeong in the seventh month of 1392, yet for several months his country was still called Goryeo.

Joseon was the last Korean dynasty, and it lasted longer than almost any royal house in world history. Its kings ruled from 1392 until 1897, when the country renamed itself the Korean Empire, and the same family stayed on the throne until 1910. Much of what visitors see in Seoul today, from the palace gates to the city wall on the hills, comes from this period. This first unit explains how a successful army general ended up founding a new state, and why the change happened with surprisingly little fighting in the capital.

A kingdom under pressure

In the second half of the 1300s, the Goryeo kingdom was under strain from several directions. Raiders from the sea attacked the coasts, armed groups crossed the northern border, and powerful families held huge estates while ordinary farmers struggled to pay tax. China was changing too: the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty was collapsing, and the new Ming dynasty was rising in its place. Korean officials argued bitterly about which side to deal with.

Yi Seong-gye made his name in this period as a commander who kept winning against coastal raiders and northern invaders. Soldiers trusted him, and a group of reform-minded scholars, among them Jeong Do-jeon, saw him as the leader who could carry out the changes they wanted. Jeong Do-jeon later drew up much of the plan for the new state, from its laws to the names of its palace halls.

Turning back at Wihwado

Over the next four years, two more kings were set up and removed, opponents were pushed out of the court, and land reform cut the power of the old great families. In the seventh month of 1392 Yi Seong-gye took the throne in Suchanggung Palace in Gaegyeong, the Goryeo capital. He is known to history as King Taejo, meaning "great founder".

Why the name stayed Goryeo for a while

A new king did not mean an immediate new name. Taejo kept the name Goryeo and left most rules and ceremonies as they were, so that daily life would not be thrown into confusion. He also sent envoys to the Ming emperor to report his accession and ask for recognition, which mattered both for peace on the border and for his standing at home. The Ming emperor accepted the change and asked what the new name would be.

The court proposed two names: Joseon, the name of the ancient kingdom known today as Gojoseon, and Hwaryeong, the old name of Taejo's birthplace. The Ming emperor chose Joseon, calling it beautiful and long established, and the new name came into use early in 1393. Asking a foreign ruler to choose can look odd today, but the court was trying to settle a tense relationship with its powerful neighbour while it built the new state.